Improvement in traces for harness



F. M. COLLIER & C. THOMAS.

TRACES FDR HARNESS.

No. 194,991. P atented Se pt.11,18 77.

W W l? ".PETERS. FHOYO-U'MOGRAPHER. WASNINGTON. D .C.

UNITE IMPROVEMENT IN TRACES FOR HARNESS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 194.95%, datedSeptember 11, 1877; application filed I January 12, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FREDERICK M. 001.- LIERand CHAUNOEY THOMAS, both residents of the city of Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and ImprovedTrace for Harness, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

. To the trace now in coma on use, made of leather, there are two veryserious objections: first, the great cost; second, the necessaryfrequent renewals when used for heavy work, especially when used onhorse-cars, where the constant stopping of the car causes alike constantand undue strain on the trace as the horses settle themselves to thework of starting the car.

The object, therefore, of this invention is to secure a substitute forthe leather trace, as at present used, which shall be materially cheaperand stronger, and to so adjust the same and adapt it to the desiredpurpose that it may prove to be superior to leather, both in point ofpractical utility and cheapness, and also as an ornamental trace.

In the drawings accompanying, Figure 1 represents that part of the tracewhich is attached to the hame;

The attaching device a in this case being such as will apply to harnessused on horserailroads in general, it will be understood that theattachment to the hame must vary with the style of hame to whichattachment is to be made; but sufficient is here shown to illustrate thefact that such variation will generally be simple in form.

The drawing represents a sectional view of an attaching device, such aview being best calculated to illustrate the novelty of the invention,regarding the adjustment of the wire cable, which is used as asubstitute for leather, which is now in general use.

The adjustment to the hame common for the purpose is by a pin or bolt,and a hole drilled through the casting a, as shown at b, is for thepurpose of adapting our new trace to the ordinary trace hame. For ournew trace we use what is generally known as the wire cable, of aboutthree-eighths of an inch in diameter, and practical experiments prove itto he possessed of all the advantages of the leather trace, with theadditional merit of superior strength and durability, secured at anominal cost. in Fig. 4 of the drawing. It is also shown in Figs. 1 and3, and designated by the letter 0.

The cable is attached to the casting a as follows: The casting a has aglobular opening, f, on the inner side, which passes into that partwhich is conical in outward form, making a conical cavity within thesame, and a narrow neck at (1-, just large enough to admit the drawingthrough of the cable. The cable, being inserted, is passed throughsufficiently far to allow the workman to untwist the strands and bendthem back about five-eighths of an inch and against the cable, as bestshown in Fig. 4. Thus the cable is increased in bulk to about double itsoriginal size at this point, and forms a head to the cable, not easilypulled out from the aperture through which it was inserted. The cable isnow drawn back and driven hard into its conical socket, and the conicalplug (best shown in Fig. 5) is driven into its center, to make the massas solid as possible, after which the whole is soldered solidly togetherto prevent it from working or loosening. As the cable and plug areeither galvanized or tinned the solder freely and firmly unitestherewith, forming a solid mass.

In the casting a, it will be observed, the socket is brought to a narrowneck at d, and again enlarged beyond that point, as shown at g. It isdesigned to 'run the solder only to the point indicated by the letter d.By the enlargement at g the cable is allowed to bend slightly at thispoint without being cut by any sharp angle, while the enlarged orificeprevents an abrupt bending at this point. It represents a leather strapabout two feet long by two inches wide, which serves the purpose of ashield for the shoulder of the horse to prevent injury from the cable.It is attached to the cable-socket by two ordinary rivets, as shown at ii, and is further sustained in its position by two other guide-pieces, jand Z l. The guide-piece j is used as a support for the strap. Thesectional View, Fig. 2, shows its construction. It is riveted to theleather in the ordinary way. The guide-piece l l is made double, and isconnected by the parallel bars The cable is best represented k k, raisedabout one-fourth of an inch from the line of adjustment to the strap h.These bars afford means of attachment for saddlestraps and belly-girths.The bar m, thrown across and connecting the bars k k, is for the purposeof adjusting the breech-strap, when such straps are used.

Fig. 3 shows the device for connecting the cable with the whiffletree,the figure being a sectional "iew of the device.

It will be seen that the manner of attachin g the cable to the castingis the same as heretofore described. Itis, therefore, unnecessary torepeat it. The casting, however, is neces-; sarily different in form,being in the general form of a parallelopiped, with a conical tubeextending from one end similar to the one connected with thehame-casting, and to which the cable is attached. Instead of theglobular cavity in the former, this has a square aperture passingthrough the body of thecastingp thus allowing a ready adjustment of thecable and at the same time the passing of a swivel-' hook through theopposite end. Before adjustin g the swivel-hook an iron or steel washer,n, is placed on the hook, to so far as possible prevent the wear, whichat this point is'somewhat out of proportion. The hook, made in theordinary form of a swivel-hook, is nowinserted through a hole drilledthrough the v unoccupied end of the casting, and the trace is complete,and the whiffietree connection may be direct with the hook, or by meansof an ordinary chain used for such purposes.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

-1. A harness-trace composedof a wire cable, provided with suitableseparate attaching devices, all substantially as shown and set forth.

2. Thesocket-casting a, in combination with thecable e and shield-strap71., substantially as described.

3. The combination of the plug 0 with the cable 0 and casting a,substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. Thecombination of the cable 0 with the holders or guides 11, j, andZ1, and strap h, substantially'as and for the purpose specified. 5. Thecombination of the cable 6 with the casting 0 and book 10, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

'6. The double bearing or guidel land its bars 7c 70 and'm,incombination with-the cable 0 and strap h, substantially as and for:the purpose above described.

Witnesses:

WM. F. HAROD, F. L. KING.

